“No problem,” Cash said, catching the keys in his hand. “You pissed at me for not pulling my weight, you should—”
“I’m not pissed at you, Cash. Brother, I’m glad you’re back and doing well. It’s just I haven’t spent that much time with Lily lately, and with the baby due, I’d like to,” Shade admitted, telling the partial truth.
With Brooke going back and forth from Georgia to Treepoint, his sense of foreboding told him she was up to something. The next one she took, he wanted to follow her and to do that, he needed Cash back at work. He had talked to Cash’s physical therapist, and she had told him she was getting ready to release him.
“I’ll be there bright and early.”
Shade nodded.
“Shade?”
“Yeah?”
“Why was Rachel at your house tonight? She’s never been there before.”
“Lily called and told me she had lost the church store’s keys, and she was going to run into town and borrow Rachel’s. Since Rachel would be closing the store, and she’s still staying at Mag’s, I suggested Lily call her and see if she minded dropping them off to her.”
“She saw me with Bliss in the gazebo.”
Shade narrowed his eyes on Cash, studying his reaction. “Did it matter what she saw? She’s the wrong type of woman for you. Besides, you’d have to put up with her brothers,” Shade warned. “She’s the type of woman who would never fit in the clubhouse … unless…” He stopped, bending to pick up an empty condom wrapper which must have fallen out of Cash’s pocket before tossing it into the trashcan.
“Unless?” Cash prompted.
“Hmm…? Oh, unless she loved you. Then I think she would do anything for you. She’s a Porter, though, so remember that.”
“What does her being a Porter have to do with anything?”
“They’re hot-headed, hot-blooded, and they don’t give a shit what anyone in town thinks. Now that I think about it, I think she would fit in just fine. I might mention that to Rider, Lucky, or … Train. They’re always looking for new women to come to the parties.”
Cash stiffened on the bed before shaking his head at him. “You’re a dick.”
“Don’t tell Lily,” Shade joked, going out of the bedroom.
“Believe me, brother; she already knows.”
Chapter 85
Shade came in the clubhouse around three in the morning to find the brothers sitting around, drinking beer. He studied the men’s bruises and beat-up faces.
“Who in the fuck did you get in a fight with?” Shade snarled. He was already in a foul mood, and seeing the brothers had gotten into a fight without him had only added salt to the wound.
Viper winced, taking a drink of his beer. “We went on a ride today so Cash could break in his new bike. Stopped for a drink in Jamestown, and the Freedom Riders were there. It was Rider’s fault.”
Sitting with Bliss on his lap, Rider was shaking his head before Viper finished his sentence.
Shade narrowed his eyes on Rider.
“I was provoked,” Rider defended himself.
“How?” Shade growled.
“He asked me to scoot my chair over,” he said defensively. “Then the fucker threw the first punch.”
Shade strode to the bar, taking a bottle of whiskey and pouring himself a glass. He had been gone for a couple of days, and this was what had happened. He took a long drink before setting his glass down on the counter.
“Some good came out of it. Cash found a source who will call if she hears anything, and we got to beat the shit out of Scorpion and a few of his men,” Viper said.
“I’m glad you had such a fucking good time,” he said, taking another drink. “Where the hell is Cash, by the way?”
“We dropped him off at Mag’s,” Rider replied.
“Your trip didn’t go well?” Lucky’s amused voice came from between Jewell’s tits where his face was buried.
“No, it didn’t. Brooke stayed at her mother’s the whole time. She didn’t leave once. It was a completely wasted trip.” He poured himself more whiskey into the glass.
“I wouldn’t say that. How was the convention?” That time, it was Viper’s amused voice which had spoken up while he tried not to smile.
“How the hell do you think it was? A convention room with over a thousand doomsday preppers. I’m never doing one again. The swag was gone in an hour, I’ve got orders I don’t know how we’re going to fill, and I’m not going on a road trip with Nickel again.”
“Where is he?” The brothers looked around, only then realizing the brother hadn’t come into the room with him.
“I made him get out of the truck in town. I couldn’t take another five minutes with him. The brothers got the bladder of a pea and had to stop to take a piss every five minutes. I left when he went in the diner to use the restroom. One of you can go get his ass.”
Rider stood up. “I’ll go get him.”
Shade set his glass down yet picked the whiskey bottle up. “I’m going home to Lily. Don’t call me unless the clubhouse is on fire or one of you fuckers decides to get in another fight.”
“Uh, Shade.” Viper stopped him with his hand on the door to the kitchen. “Lily’s home, babysitting Razer’s kids. Beth needed a break from them, so Razer’s giving her one upstairs.” His president couldn’t keep the snicker out of his voice.
Shade’s lips tightened into a tight line. Walking back to the bar, he set the whiskey bottle back down on the counter before walking silently out of the room, wondering if the Freedom Riders needed a new enforcer.
* * *
He was crossing the parking lot after leaving the factory early, since Train had said he would finish the day when he noticed Cash, who seemed to be getting off his bike. However, when he saw him, he sat back down.
“I’m going to Rosie’s for a drink. Want to go?”
Shade hesitated, seeing the manipulative gleam in Cash’s eyes. Did the brother seriously think he could pull something on him?
“Sure, Lily won’t be home for a while.” Shade got on his bike, interested to see what Cash had up his sleeve.
Rosie’s had a few vehicles out front when they pulled up. He was surprised Cash voluntarily wanted to go in with the Porters’ truck parked outside.
Climbing off his bike, he then followed Cash in.
The Porter brothers were sitting in Rosie’s, having a beer.
Shade saw the determined expression on Cash’s face as he walked over to their table to greet them. Their hate-filled expressions and lack of response had Cash gritting his teeth loud enough for him to hear. Shade wanted to laugh at Cash’s predicament. Hell, he had only had to deal with Beth when he had wanted Lily, but Cash was stuck having to deal with not one but three assholes.
“Mind if we join you?” Shade asked, tempted to let Cash handle this on his own for trying to trick him into helping, but he couldn’t desert a brother who was facing a firing squad.
They didn’t wait for acquiescence, both of them taking a seat at the table. The Porter brothers might hate Cash, but Shade was their regular customer, so he would be harder to piss off.
The men looked like the beer in their stomachs was turning sour as Cash and Shade both ordered their drinks.
“What do you want, Cash?” Tate didn’t hesitate to ask why Cash would be willing to sit down at the table with them.
Cash decided to take the devil by the horns and be honest with the three brothers. “We need to come to an understanding and cut out this bullshit between us.” Cash began his talk to get in the good graces of Rachel’s brothers.
“Why? It works for us.” An evil grin came to Tate’s face. “This has to do with Rachel, doesn’t it?”
“Why does his talking to us have anything to do with Rachel?”
God, Dustin has to be the slowest of these idiots, Shade thought in pity.
While his two older brothers rolled their eyes at the question, realization slowly hit Rachel’s youngest brother.
&
nbsp; “Hell, no.” Dustin’s reaction mirrored his older brothers’.
“We can keep fighting between us, and we’ll all lose Rachel, or we can pretend to get along and keep Rachel in Treepoint. It’s up to you. I’m willing to tolerate you three for Rachel.”
Without another word, the three brothers got up from the table, leaving Cash and him staring at their backs as they left the bar.
“That went well,” Cash said drily.
“Did you expect any different? You four have spent years pissing each other off. It’s going to take more than a meet to change that.”
Cash studied Shade speculatively. “I gave Lily my vote for your marker.”
Shade’s amusement died. “Yes, you did. So?”
“I want your help to bring those assholes around,” Cash laid out his terms.
“I promised you my marker, not a fucking miracle.”
“Shade, you’re the most manipulative bastard I know. If anyone can get those assholes to tolerate me, it’s you. Can you think of a bigger challenge for your skills?”
“Actually, no.”
Mick set the beer down in front of them.
“You’re buying,” Shade told Cash, picking up his.
* * *
“What are we doing here?” Cash asked as they sat outside the movie theater.
“Trying to pay you back.”